Deep beneath the Mountain Purification Temple, the chanting of sutras never ceased. Day in and out, Ji Yan filled his troubled mind with scriptures and prayer, adhering to the routine instilled into him by the abbot until the exhaustion sedated him into a dreamless sleep. He spent every waking moment yearning for his blissful rest, diligently working himself to his limit until it could finally take hold. His heavy fingers flexed around the prayer necklace in his hands, threatening to crack the intertwined beads at any moment.


    Ji Yan had been toiling in this manner for many years. He had long ago come to terms with his lot in life. There were good days and bad; there were times when his mind felt clear, when the evil thoughts were gone entirely. He felt that those fleeting moments became more frequent over time, and his assurance in the abbot''s ways intensified until it became akin to zeal.


    But likewise, there were many times when he was close to breaking. When the abbot brought a child before him, a girl of all things, Ji Yan''s progress had been very nearly undone. More than anything, he feared for that fragile creature''s life. The abbot demanded that he help her. But how could one so accustomed to killing save another?


    The girl turned out to be a troubled soul. She ended up drawn to his evils like a moth to a flame. They both burned in each other''s fire. The bond forged in their mutual suffering turned out to be more than either of them could have ever imagined. Ji Yan received the chance to use his accursed skills to accomplish that which he never thought to be possible - with his martial arts, he had healed another. The experience reshaped his world, instilled him with hope beyond measure.


    Now, Ji Yan looked back on that tumultuous time with fondness. As blissful recollection flooded his thoughts, his chanting ceased. He listened to the soft crackling of lit candles. For a time, he could hear nothing else.


    His big ears picked up a light scraping by the door.


    Beneath the earth, Ji Yan had no way to keep track of the sun. But his routine followed a certain rhythm that enabled him to guess loosely at the time; for the disciple or the abbot to appear now was remarkably unusual. Nevertheless, he silently kneaded his prayer beads as he waited for them to enter. The onset of unease forced him to continue his prayers in a hushed whisper.


    But then something slammed into the door. Ji Yan''s body jolted in fright. He could hear bits of the shattered iron lock crumbling to the floor. The door slowly creaked open. The monk turned his head.


    White silk flowed through the widening gap like sunlight. Long white sleeves nearly dragged along the ground. When Ji Yan gazed upon the figure''s face, his heart nearly gave out. The flickering candlelight revealed the visage of a golden haired monster. Its narrow eyes glowed with yellow light.


    "Demon!" Ji Yan gasped, crawling away in terror. Almost immediately his wide back pressed against a bronze statue. In his desperation, he began to chant the sutras once more. But no matter how he raised his voice, the phantom continued to slowly draw near. Ji Yan couldn''t take it. The necklace finally burst apart in his frantic grip, beads scattering across the ground. He scrambled to pick up the pieces, but it was hopeless.


    "Get away from me!" He yelled. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, praying that the vision would pass. But the demon''s approach was impossible to stifle; it had suddenly deigned to make its steady footsteps audible. Jin Yan''s body shook. The veins on his bald head bulged. His massive fist slammed against the floor, shaking the earth. But nothing could dispel the demonic being.


    The Sleeping Asura''s eyes flew open. He thrust out his palm with a desperate roar. It struck the demon squarely in the chest and forced it back a step. But it remained upright. Its narrow shoulders shook in silent laughter. When even that had failed to fell the demon, the monk clutched his head and screamed. His booming voice shook the walls. His great figure finally rose.


    The demon had to crane its neck to look into his bloodshot eyes. He assumed a stance and his massive palm reached out again. The opponent flinched, but the attack arrived before the being could muster a defense. There was a deafening clap as the attack struck flesh. The white robed fiend was flung back, collapsing to the floor. But it rose back up with little delay. It coughed wetly, blood spilling past the gaps in its toothy grin and dripping down the chin.


    Seeing his opponent still standing sent the Asura''s mind reeling. His body shook with rage, his teeth trying to grind themselves to dust. The monk lunged at her with a bellow. His first two punches missed, while his third rammed into her sharp elbow. Pain shot through his hand, but it had done nothing to discourage his assault. As the fiend fought back, the Sleeping Asura defended himself by sheer muscle memory. The subsequent blows were some of the heaviest he had ever received onto his arms. Though his body buckled beneath their exchanges, his scorching fury boiled his fears to naught.


    They attacked in the same moment. The demon''s long limbs came up short compared to his and a punch to the stomach sent it toppling over once more. This time, the Sleeping Asura followed the monster down and mounted it. His great fist came crashing down like a hammer onto its grinning face. It buried the creature''s head into the floorboards, stopping only when it had reached the foundation beneath.


    The demon''s legs wrapped around his great limb. A great pain ran through his arm as the enemy twisted it bodily. The Sleeping Asura was forced to free the demon from his grasp to preserve his limb. As the golden haired head lifted itself out of the floor, the remnants of the woman''s cracked mask flaked from her bloodied face. She stood, shook her head and brushed a hand through her long hair, discarding debris and the remains of her old visage.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The woman gazed upon him with an unsettling smile. Ji Yan flinched from her golden eyes more than from any blow. His frantic breathing desperately tried to force out a word.


    But the intruder spoke first, her voice ringing with bliss. "You''re even better than I imagined. Why do you waste away in this dark hole?"


    Ji Yan hissed helplessly as though in pain. The longer he stared at the woman, the more his body shook.


    "Come on." She gently whispered. "Let it all out."


    Ji Yan backed away. It turned out that only more agony awaited him beneath the demon''s mask. When the fiend stepped after him, he roared. The Sleeping Asura rushed at her with wild abandon. But even in the midst of his crazed charge, the techniques ingrained into his body began to reveal themselves without so much as a conscious thought.


    The demon mirrored his stance and met his palm with her own. The power behind their collision shook the bronze statues, toppled the lanterns, and put out the candles. The fiend tumbled back, her body shaking. The Sleeping Asura''s arm quivered with pain, but his madness deafened his reeling nerves. Seeing the thing before him turn his techniques against him had rage his biggest fears. He became convinced that the demon before him was his own, expelled from his own heart. Ji Yan plunged into his madness in earnest, resolved to put an end to it at all costs.


    "I should not have let that first one hit me." She chuckled, cradling her ailing chest with her arm. Her words fell on deaf ears. The monk approached once more. Her eyes widened, her breath shuddered with excitement. She ducked under his massive fist, and struck him in the side. Once again they began to trade blows. Even at the height of his rage, the Sleeping Asura deftly fended off her strikes. Only a scant few blows were able to reach either foe, but their effects were devastating.


    As their brawl continued, the demon began to slow and weaken under the repeated attacks. She had been backed up against the bronze statue of a bodhisattva. Instinctually sensing weakness, the Sleeping Asura performed his palm strike. It was only at the very last moment that he had managed to perceive the cunning glinting through her yellow eyes. Her white robed figure flickered to the side. The Asura''s palm crumpled the metal as if it was paper. His massive hand had wedged itself so deeply into the statue that it had taken him a precious moment to wrangle it out of the bronze.


    The demon paid him back with his own strike. As pain washed over him, a bitter thought flashed in his tumultuous mind - she was merely feigning weakness. Even his mania could not dull the effects of this strike. But still, the Sleeping Asura lashed out.


    His fists could no longer reach her. The demon''s hands battered him relentlessly. One last blow to the head sent him tumbling back. The giant struggled to retain his footing. He drove his heels into the floor and remained standing against all odds. His fist flew out in such a spectacular manner that the motion more closely resembled a throw than a proper punch.


    His attack made contact with her stomach. It forced the woman back five or six steps, and she fell to a knee. The Sleeping Asura made to follow, but his body only swayed helplessly like a branch in the wind. The demon rose, a grin on her bloodied lips. Their battle was forced to a halt as both parties tried to steady themselves.


    The woman was first. She ran up to him and forced the massive monk to the floor with one last punch to the skull.


    The Sleeping Asura collapsed. A fire still raged in his eyes, but his useless limbs could only twitch helplessly.


    The demon''s body swayed unsteadily before it also crumbled onto his. She covered him like a heavy blanket. Her golden locks sprayed across his face, and her panted breaths tickled his ear. The Sleeping Asura began to struggle harder, but he could not force any movement out of his battered flesh.


    Once she managed to catch her breath, the demon whispered, "Dream of my return."


    She lifted her head. What few lanterns remained lit her strange smile. The Sleeping Asura felt the jab of her fingers between his neck and shoulder, and in an instant, his vision grew blurry. He fought his slipping consciousness to the last. His arm finally rose and he gripped the woman''s shoulder, laid bare by their struggles. But his hefty hand had no strength in it. His limb fell heavily to the floor. His consciousness faded in her arms.


    ...


    Bai Guo heard his door open. He turned and found his master standing there in a miserable state. Her bruised face was caked in dry blood, her white robe was in tatters. But even so, her golden eyes were gleaming with something that resembled joy.


    "We need to go." The Golden Witch said.


    "What happened?" Bai Guo asked. But deep down, he already knew the answer.


    "Now." She insisted. Bai Guo obeyed. He had quickly gotten dressed and rushed after her. They left the temple and fled into the night. Only when the temple was far behind them had she deigned to stop in a field of snow.


    The Golden Witch faced Bai Guo with a sweet smile. "You''ve done so well."


    Her long fingers brushed against his cheek. The disciple remained in a stupor; her hand lingered on his face for a while longer. Suddenly, a dark streak spoiled the delight in her eyes. Though it was obvious that something had changed, the Golden Witch forced her smile to remain. Bai Guo shivered at the sight.


    "Wait for me here." She said. "I need to take care of something. Don''t go anywhere."


    His master bolted back to whence they came. Bai Guo called after her, but she wouldn''t stop. He watched her blurry form rush down the road leading towards the Kunlun Goddess Peak.


    ...